GfK SE today announced that Debbie Pruent will retire December 31, 2015 and will be replaced by David Krajicek as Chief Commercial Officer for the Consumer Experiences Sector. In addition, Alessandra Cama will take over the new role of Chief Operations Officer to drive further operational efficiencies and synergies across the business. These changes come into effect January 1, 2016.
Debbie Pruent, currently Management Board member responsible for Consumer Experiences (COO CE), has decided to retire and therefore not prolong her contract with GfK at the end of the year 2015. In its meeting on September 11, 2015, the Supervisory Board decided to appoint David Krajicek, currently Regional COO North America, Consumer Experiences, to the Management Board as Chief Commercial Officer Consumer Experiences.
Alessandra Cama, currently Regional COO APAC, Consumer Choices, will be appointed to the Management Board as the new Chief Operations Officer responsible for all local and global operations functions across GfK. This is to drive improved productivity in operations through further automation, scale and efficiencies.
Gerhard Hausruckinger will continue to lead the Consumer Choices sector as Chief Commercial Officer. The CEO and CFO roles remain unchanged.
Matthias Hartmann, CEO of GfK SE, said: “I want to thank Debbie Pruent for her key role in transforming our Consumer Experiences business over the past years. She is a great colleague and friend to all of us in the Management Board. Filling the gap, I am pleased to see outstanding talent at GfK ready for the next step.”
Dr. Arno Mahlert, head of the GfK Supervisory Board commented: “With Alessandra Cama and David Krajicek we developed two excellent leaders within the organization who will help us drive the business forward and deliver more value to our customers.”
Debbie Pruent was appointed to the Management Board of GfK in 2008 and has played a key role in transforming GfK. During this time she has standardized GfK’s solutions, scaled the business, introduced new digital products and implemented a common model on how GfK delivers to clients globally. She has been instrumental in developing and driving the Own the Future strategy and both Dr. Arno Mahlert, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of GfK SE, and Matthias Hartmann would like to thank Debbie for her outstanding contribution.
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